Oh No, WaPo!

Published April 09, 2009 @ 02:00PM PT

Early today, guest blogger Katherine Chon posted a great piece about the massage parlor/brothel ads The Washington Post runs in their sports section. A huge destination for trafficked women and girls, especially from Asian countries, brothels thinly veiled as "massage parlors" are all over the DC region, and all over the country.

While a number of other major newspapers have declined to run ads for these types of establishments because of the connection to human trafficking, WaPo and other papers are still benefiting from the exploitation of women and young girls. Here's a great Daily Show-style video of Pat Tomasulo addressing the issue of massage parlor advertising in The Chicago Sun-Times:

Seriously, though. Ask The Washington Post to stop running these ads. Or, check your local newspaper or online news source to see what sort of ads they're running. You have the power as a reader to refuse to support brothels with your dollars, and demand that the WaPo and others stop taking these ads.

Afterall, this may not be the first time the WaPo has had a serious Deep Throat issue, but let's really hope it's the last.

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Comments (3)

Great video. Very funny, yet effective. I like how Tomasulo uses sarcasm to expose people's stupidity and get under their skin. Sounds like somebody I know.

Posted by Dennis G. on 04/09/2009 @ 09:16PM PT
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I have worked in the newspaper industry, and there's just no excuse for this. Many major papers have dropped these ads. I sent the letter the WP asking them to stop.

Posted by Slim Chance on 04/10/2009 @ 07:19AM PT
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How disgusting. Once again, every one of the women who works at these "massage parlors" is someones daughter. I wish the WaPo and the men that use these places--and these women-- would think of some cherished woman in their lives and recognize that when we dehumanize one member of the human family we dehumanize us all. I sent the letter because it is the height of cynicism to criticize a practice that you also, less publicly profit from.

Posted by Heather Windsor on 04/10/2009 @ 02:13PM PT
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Author

Amanda has been a full-time abolitionist for six years. During that time, she has created reports, documentaries and training materials on human trafficking in the United States and around the world.